This Sunday, Barcelona will face Rayo Vallecano in their final La Liga match before the September international break, during which Spain will play two World Cup qualifiers. One important player will miss all these fixtures.
According to Marca, during a training session on Friday, Gavi suffered a minor injury to his right knee that prevented him from completing the practice and kept him from training with his teammates on Saturday. As a result, he underwent medical tests at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, which led to the decision to give him rest.
“Pablo Páez Gavira, ‘Gavi’, is experiencing discomfort in his right knee. He will miss Sunday’s match against Rayo Vallecano, and his availability will depend on how his recovery progresses,” Barcelona said in a statement on their official social media accounts.
Reports from Marca and Mundo Deportivo agree that the physical issues facing the Spanish midfielder are not serious and have not caused excessive concern for the Catalan side. The decision to leave him out of Sunday’s La Liga match is purely precautionary.
This is especially significant given that Gavi has had previous knee problems: in November 2023, he tore the ACL in that knee while playing with Spain, requiring surgery that kept him out for nearly a year.
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Barcelona’s lineup without Gavi
While Gavi is an important player for Barcelona, he has not had a guaranteed starting spot recently. In fact, in the first two matches of the 2025-26 season, against Mallorca and Levante, the midfielder started on the bench and came on during the second half.
With Gavi unavailable, it’s likely that Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Dani Olmo will be the midfielders chosen by Hansi Flick to face Rayo Vallecano. According to Sport, the probable starting lineup is: Joan Garcia; Jules Koundé, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Dani Olmo; Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Raphinha.
Problems for Spain too
Shortly after Barcelona announced Gavi’s injury, the Spain National Team shared a similar update on social media. “Gavi is unavailable for the Spain National Team call-up. The FC Barcelona midfielder will not join the squad due to discomfort in his right knee,” the statement read.
As a result, coach Luis de la Fuente will be without one of his midfield options ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Spain is in Group E alongside Turkey, Georgia, and Bulgaria, and will make their tournament debut on Thursday, September 4th, away against Bulgaria. Three days later, they will face Turkey, also on the road.
